evangelical

Senior church leaders in Britain have joined their counterparts in Europe and Africa in urging the UK government to play its part in seeking to make trade negotiations between the EU and some of the world’s poorest countries about justice not greed.

Christians from a range of backgrounds held a service in London yesterday evening to thank God for a major success in campaigning against the arms trade - the shutting down of the government-backed DESO.

There has been a decidedly mixed initial response to the attempt of the Episcopal Church in the USA to reach a compromise over the issue of lesbian and gay blessings and ordinations, with some media commentators hailing it as a refusal to give in and others seeing it as a cave-in.

Preserving religious freedom, including the right to manifest diverse beliefs, is a cornerstone of an open, liberal and tolerant society, the C of E Archbishops’ Council says in its response to proposals for a Single Equality Bill. Others say the Church is being too defensive.

Representatives of Europe's main Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches say they hope a six-day ecumenical assembly in the Romanian city of Sibiu will give a new impetus to the movement for Christian unity - and enable them to meet today's challenges.

A former Tory Cabinet Minister, who has been in jail himself, has challenged the Keswick Convention, a major UK evangelical rally, to get involved in the effort to transform the country's failing prison system.

The Pentagon's Inspector General has passed judgement against seven military officers, including four generals, who engaged in misconduct three years ago when they appeared in a controversial promotional video for an evangelical group, contravening proselytism regulations.

With Evangelical and Pentecostal representatives joining an 8-12 August consultation in Toulouse, the joint Vatican-WCC study process on religious conversion has moved one step closer to its goal of a common code of conduct.

To some the doctrine of the Trinity looks to be modern Christianity's achilles heel in a rationalistic age, but Simon Barrow argues that it points to the coherence of God-talk as well as the challenges the Gospel poses.

Thw WCC is renewing efforts to promote global Christian unity and conversation through an 'alliance of alliances' which will acknowledge differences and work through cooperation rather than conformity.